WHY BLOWING UP THE IRAN DEAL IS A REALLY BAD MOVE (or, "Why Trump's an Idiot")

Yesterday I wrote that by unilaterally leaving the Iranian nuclear deal Donald Trump was proving, once and for all, that he's an idiot on the world stage. This is not hyperbole, as you will see below. 

Let's be blunt. By blowing up the Iran deal Donald Trump effectively hands Russia two strategic victories. First, Trump drives a wedge between the U.S. and its western allies, which Vladimir Putin has been trying to do for years. 

Smart move there, Mr. Trump. 

Second, Donald Trump just strengthened Russia's hand in the Middle East. By pissing off Iran Trump just gave Iran, a steadfast Russian ally in Syria, more reasons to buddy up with Moscow. This is another victory for Vladimir Putin.

Simply put, when the U.S. loses credibility Russia wins. 

Then we have this. Donald Trump can't explain how abandoning the Joint Cooperation Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran makes America safer. 

He also doesn't have a backup plan. Seriously.

But real the big picture is even worse. 

Dumping the JCPOA is yet more evidence of Trump's geostrategic buffoonery because it confirms that Trump's past pattern of backing away from global initiatives, for no other reason than he can, is no accident. He's really that clueless, and reckless.

After abandoning the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) in Asia, waffling on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), questioning our allies resolve on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), referring to several underdeveloped nations as "shithole" countries, and then walking away from the Paris Accords, Trump's geostrategic stupidities have moved the global community closer to disasters that history tells us are around the corner if the adults in the room don't start making some moves. 

At the same time, Trump's made it abundantly clear that the U.S. is no longer the leader of the free world, which helps to explain the increasing scorn and ridicule from the global community. 

Then we have some smaller, ancillary developments that we need to consider; like Boeing losing out on a $20 billion deal with Iran (Airbus and GE are also impacted).

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But wait, there's more. Click on the following links for some pretty good - in depth - overviews that explain how deep Trump's incompetence is on geostrategy, looming side effect, and future oil prices (expect them to rise).

I can't emphasize how Trump's latest attempt at global chess playing is a bad move.

Really bad.

Sigh ...

- Mark